President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received foreign minister of the Republic of Turkey, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and his retinue on 10 January.

Greeting the guests, head of the Azerbaijani state Ilham Aliyev said:

“Dear Mr. Minister,

Dear guests, I cordially welcome all of you. You are welcome to Azerbaijan.

The traditional friendly and brotherly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan successfully go ahead. Our countries are fruitfully cooperating in all fields. Our cooperation in all fields – political, economic, military, cultural operation is strengthening day by day and we are pleased of it.

In the most difficult periods of Azerbaijan’s history Turkey has been always with us. We always felt this support and today we feel it. You may assure that Azerbaijan, too, will always be with Turkey.

We have persistently felt support of Turkey in the most serious and greatest problems for Azerbaijan – in the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict, and feel today. Turkey’s position is just and we wish the OSCE Minsk Group that directly engaged in the issue to make a turning point in its activity and make serious efforts for the fair resolution to the conflict in the frame of norms of international law. Azerbaijan’s occupied lands should be liberated and one million of refugees return to their homelands.

I know that you had a number of meetings here in the frame of your visit. These meetings were useful. At the same time, I remember with great pleasure my visit to Ankara. The meetings I held there are important for our countries. I am confident the meetings will continue in this way and we shall have consultations and discuss all these questions in thee meeting.

I once again welcome you and hope that your current visit will be successful, too. Our countries will be further close to each other”.

Expressing his gratitude for warm reception, the foreign minister of Turkey and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said:

“Dear President, on behalf of our government, we once again congratulate You on election to this post and wish success. We wish this page opened for Your country and personally for You and for the entire Turkic world to be useful and successful.

We once again pray for Heydar Aliyev, one of the greatest statesmen and most valuable people of both Azerbaijan and the entire Turkic world, and express condolence to You. Perhaps, his contributions will be always remembered, move ahead Azerbaijan in the new period and assist You in Your leadership. There is no need to explain the existent friendly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan. This is natural and it was nicely expressed by the late President, esteemed Heydar Aliyev. We are one nation but have separate states. Now, we are to strengthen our cooperation to make our nation living in these separate states happier and more developed. In the past, our works followed this tendency. We had very efferent, useful and significant meetings.

As you know, the Karabakh problem is not only yours and it is ours. Efforts are being made for peaceful solution of this problem in the frame of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We hope, the other side will also demonstrate good will and constructive position and the world will assist to settle this conflict peacefully and fairly, and the occupied lands of Azerbaijan be liberated. Turkey will do its best in this direction. There should be no doubt.

I also would like to convey esteemed President Ahmed Necdet Sezer’s New Year wishes and greetings to You. We shall be glad to see You in Turkey. Not only our President and Government, but also the whole people of Turkey will be pleased. We are convinced that You will realize this visit shortly and in convenient time for You.

We once again wish success to You in Your high post, and would like to express our confidence in happy future of the people of Azerbaijan.

Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. I am grateful. At the same time, I request You to convey my sincere greetings to President Ahmed Necdet Sezer and esteemed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I am thankful to You for this invitation and willingly will realize it in recent time.

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Head of the foreign relations department Novruz Mammadov, ambassador of Azerbaijan to Turkey Mammad Aliyev and ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan Ahmed Unal Chevigoz participated at the reception.